Shows We're Looking Forward To, Now That the Olympics Are Over

Now that the Olympic drama of icebound athletic competition (and tearjerking backstories) is over, TV is ready to resume airing real drama. And by real drama, we mean, of course, fake drama, scripted by writers and performed by actors.

It seems like most of television went into hibernation during the Olympics, with only 'Lost,' 'American Idol,' and a handful of other shows daring to take on the unstoppable might of Bob Costas. Now that the games are over, however, March will see the long-awaited return of some favorite series and the premieres of some anticipated new shows.

There are some big events this month, including the return of Jay Leno to 'The Tonight Show' (tonight on NBC), the Oscars (March 7, ABC), and March Madness basketball (starting March 18 on CBS). There are also reliable old favorites returning, including 'Gossip Girl' (March 8, the CW), 'America's Next Top Model' (March 10, the CW), 'The Celebrity Apprentice' (March 14, NBC), 'South Park' (March 17, Comedy Central) and 'Dancing With the Stars' (March 22, ABC). You can see a list of the whole month's notable TV premieres, finales, and specials here. Among these are a handful of new and returning shows we're especially looking forward to in March.

•'Parenthood' (March 2, NBC). Yes, we've expressed reservations about this sprawling family dramedy, judging by the relentless promos that made it look like ABC's 'Modern Family,' only more depressing. Still, we love the cast (which includes Lauren Graham, Peter Krause and Craig T. Nelson), and we're intrigued by the fact that NBC, in desperate need of a hit, is pretty much betting the farm on this one. It would be a neat twist if NBC, which all but killed the scripted 10PM drama with the failed 'Jay Leno Show,' could revive the genre from its deathbed with this entry.

•'The Pacific' (March 14, HBO). Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks' new 10-part mini-series should do for the WWII battles against Japan what its 'Band of Brothers' did a decade ago for the fight against the Nazis. Of course, that project, coming in the wake of Spielberg and Hanks' 'Saving Private Ryan,' rode a wave of "Greatest Generation" nostalgia; today, thanks to the horrors of the last 10 years, that nostalgia for a war with unambiguous moral clarity is even stronger. So hopes for this project -- and the catharsis it should offer -- are especially high.

•'FlashForward' and 'V' (March 18 and March 30, ABC). Some big questions will be asked when ABC's two big conspiracy-minded sci-fi dramas, absent since November, return this month: Is there going to be another worldwide blackout on 'FlashForward'? Is a whole armada of alien saucers going to invade Earth on 'V'? Will both of these shows survive their freshman seasons? (We're betting that at least one of them will not.) And after we've spent three and a half months away from both shows and their confusing storylines, can they make us care again?

•'Breaking Bad' (March 21, AMC). Want to know why critics think this is the best show on TV, or why Bryan Cranston has won two consecutive Emmys for playing Walt White, high school science teacher-turned-meth dealer? Time to catch up with this series, whose first two seasons AMC is marathoning during the wee hours starting March 10. Season 3 may be a little funnier, with more focus on Bob Odenkirk's shameless ambulance-chasing lawyer Saul Goodman, but that shouldn't make the show any less dark.

•'Nurse Jackie' and 'United States of Tara' (March 22, Showtime). Showtime's two strange and wonderful comedies about women on the edge return for their second seasons on the same night. On 'Nurse Jackie,' Edie Falco's RN will cope with the absence of her lover Eddie and the easy access to painkillers he provided her. On 'Tara,' Toni Collette will show off her Emmy and Golden Globe-winning chops as her multiple-personality-disordered housewife manifests some new alter egos, while one of her old ones, macho Buck, romances a bartender named Pammy (Joey Lauren Adams). Can't wait to see what kind of trouble Jackie and Tara get into this season.